World No Tobacco Day, 31 May 2009

Call for action

PLACING PICTURE WARNINGS ON ALL TOBACCO PRODUCTS IS AN APPROPRIATE AND HIGHLY COST-EFFECTIVE WAY TO WARN CONSUMERS ABOUT THE RISKS OF TOBACCO AND TO REDUCE TOBACCO CONSUMPTION

Call to policy-makers

Require by law that all tobacco products display large picture warnings about the harm caused by tobacco and its many other negative consequences.

Follow the best-practice recommendations provided in the Article 11 guidelines to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control as a blueprint for action.

Build on the experiences of other countries to craft the most effective warnings and implement them for the greatest possible impact.

Base decisions on impartial scientific evidence, not on the claims of the tobacco industry. Tobacco companies oppose strong health warnings, particularly those with pictures. The arguments they use against health warnings are false and should not be relied upon.

Ask the World Health Organization to provide technical assistance for the implementation of picture warnings through the MPOWER package, the "W" of which stands for "Warn about the dangers of tobacco".

Urge the countries that have not yet ratified the WHO Framework Convention to join those that are already Parties to the international treaty.

Call to civil society and nongovernmental organizations

Advocate for picture-based warnings on all tobacco products.

Campaign for and help to develop and implement laws that require picture-based warnings on tobacco products.

Act as a watchdog to monitor tobacco-industry packaging strategies and compliance with statutory warnings.

Evaluate and share information about the effectiveness of picture warnings.

Call to the public

Demand your right to know the truth — the whole truth — about the dangers of tobacco use and exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke.